Over the weekend, a young woman named Shaymaa Ismaa'eel attended a conference in Washington D.C. held by the Islamic Circle of North America, when she saw a group of protesters holding signs against the Muslim faith and the Prophet Muhammad.
From there, a viral moment ensued when Ismaa'eel had her friend take a picture of her while she flashed a smile and peace sign, and later posted the photo on social media with a message that only emphasized kindness.
"I really wanted to combat their hatred with kindness honestly," the 24-year-old Ismaa'eel later told CNN, "I wanted them to see my face and simply walking by wasn't enough."
Ismaa'eel, who works as a therapist for children with autism in the DC area, also included a quote from Prophet Muhammad on her post, one that read: "Kindness is a mark of faith. Those who aren't kind have no faith."
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the photo to go viral as it garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram and Twitter, fueled by the message to "smile in the face of bigotry."